The Snake Princess
by Calibri
Summary: A Fanfic that takes place in Amazon Lily many years before the current storyline.
1. Chapter 1

A "One Piece" Fanfic that takes place in Amazon Lily. Thanks for reading!

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Part 1

The jungle was in turmoil, since it was hunting time on Amazon Lily.

For those who came outside of Island the depths of the jungle were terrifying

and deadly alike. Fruits, mushrooms and berries grew all over the inland, inviting hungry visitors to take a bite. Few did now about the deadly effects they had when eaten…

The overwhelming Vegetation made any orientation impossible, gigantic trees and shrubs would almost crush visitors underneath. Once you were lost in the woods you could abandon all hope. Deep in the darkness of the jungle the most dangerous animals were lurking and would devour you with a single gulp. But even those predators were not safe of the most adept hunter...

Slender silhouettes were swiftly rushing through the jungle, avoiding any obstacle with ease. The hunters made no sound while moving, as if they had become part of the jungle itself. There where seven of them, all following the trail of a tall skilful leader. Suddenly a roar boomed through the woods. The hunters came to a halt instantly and listened to the majestic sound echoing through the leaves. The same thought was racing through their minds. This was the sound they were hoping for…. The leader had figured out the direction and moved forward cautiously, instructing the others to follow. Then they found their prey. It was a young jungle rhinoceros, almost 10 feet tall with an impressive shining grey armor …But despite its size it was comparably small to other creatures of the woods and looked surprisingly frightened... It walked with a limb and blood was dripping of its shoulder. Apparently it just got out of a fight. Defeating it would be a child's play…

The hunters prepared for their attack, agitated. All eyes were resting on the ignorant creature. The only thing they were waiting for was the signal of the leader Dahlia, who was still observing the prey as calm as can be…

"Please…Let us attack..." a young warrior murmured, almost begging. But the leader just shook her head.

"Listen"

A soft moan was wandering through the woods…

„It's crying…It's very uncommon for them to travel without their group. Something is wrong… we will leave it in peace"

All The Hunters understood and nodded in agreement; Except for The youngest and smallest hunter… the thin black-haired girl stared at the leader with disbelief. This was just a small jungle rhino, and it was injured on top of that. Literally waiting to be slain! Instead she was to just stare at it and then leave like a complete idiot?

"You are kidding, right?" The youngest hunter whispered sharply." I could defeat this on my own with one hit…"

Dahlia turned her head subtly, without losing the prey out of focus.

"You cannot win this, no matter how strong you are. Your arrogance could hurt you and your group…We are retreating"

The young girl let out a fretful snort. This was a disgrace to every Kuja warrior! But she wouldn't be a weakling like her leader. She was eager to show her strength! Every muscle was tensed, all senses sharpened for what was going to happen next.

She'd show them what a REAL warrior was made of!

With a quick move the girl jumped out of her hiding, too fast for the leader to react, let alone catch her. She dashed to the animal without hesitation, letting out an earth shattering roar. The animal stared at the small attacker with pure terror, competed only by the horror in the leader's eyes.

"HANCOCK!!! STOOOOP!!!"

"Take this!" the girl launched an attack and hit the animal, which was easily three times bigger than her directly to the stomach. It sounded like something had shattered; it was the rhino's armor.

"Almost done!" The girl panted. Her Body twisted as she moved all her power into her right arm. The Beast wheezed in pain… With a loud bang the creature crashed on the floor. It didn't move an inch. Instead it panted in agony. Now that's how it's done! With a defiant smile Hancock turned to her group, her arm lifted in victory.

"Defeated with one hit!"

The young hunter searched for the eyes of her leader. But as she found them she didn't see the admiration and respect she was expecting. Instead she saw... could it be? It was fear…

Before Hancock could realize what was going on, the hurt rhino let out an ear shattering scream; it was high-pitched, desperate, different from any sound Hancock had ever heard before. Yet it remembered her of a child calling out for its mother back in the village. For a brief second it was deadly silent, suddenly another scream from deep in the jungle responded. Again the young rhino called out in pain. Then it all happened too fast…


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Hancock felt the earth shiver underneath her feet, it was a trampling and her whole body was shaking because of it. Whatever was heading her direction, it was big, it was fast and very very angry. A cold shiver ran down her spine.

The leader was screaming something on top of her lungs but Hancock couldn't hear it anymore. A group of at least 15 Rhino's had just burst through the undergrowth, unstoppable and inevitable. Hancock almost ricked her neck as she looked up to the gigantic creatures directly in front of her.

The biggest of them, probably 2 times bigger than the previous Rhino, glared at her with rage.

She was the one he was looking for.

His massive body was dashing towards her, crushing everything in his path. No matter how fast she would run, they were faster…no matter how hard she'd fight they were stronger. She was done for. The hoof of the animal was directly above her, it would crush her within the next second. But the girl was frozen in fear. What should she do? What should she do?!

Suddenly she felt a slender arm around her waist. The hoof of the rhino whooshed by so close; it brushed her cheek. Someone had saved her. Hancock tried to look up and was able to make out the darkish features of Dahlia.

The leader was still holding her upside down in her arm as she barked commands at the other hunters. The Beasts didn't even care about the Amazons around them; about the ridiculous, petty arrows they were shooting …all they wanted was to crush the tiny girl who had hurt one of them.

"Now you are the center of attention. That was what you were looking for, was it not?"Dahlia said with a soft chuckle. Normally Hancock would have answered with a cocky remark but right now she was busy with fearing for her life...

The group of Rhinos turned around to focus their target anew. Dahlia faced the Herd, and stood still without a flicker. Only the little girl was winding in her arm trying to free herself. "What are you doing? Let me down, I can run for myself!" The little girl yelled, but the leader just tightened her grip. The Biggest Rhino ran towards them with fury, the rest of the herd followed. Hancock felt panic rush though her body. But Dahlia didn't move, was she going to get both of them killed?!

"CHARGE!" the voice of leader went through the forest like a gunshot. The same second every single Amazon appeared out of nowhere and stormed to the gigantic animals. The warriors only focused on one rhino; three Amazons had used lianas and wrapped them around the Beast's legs. Hancock saw it sway, trying to keep its balance. The two other amazons attacked the head of the now defenseless Rhino relentlessly. After a couple of aimed hits the Rhino fell and the Amazons jumped to the treetops as fast as they had appeared.

Suddenly the other animals seemed confused. They had followed the command of the big Rhino, But now they didn't know were to turn, blinded by their rage. This was the right moment for a retreat. The Amazons made a run, unnoticed by the temporarily confused Rhinos. With their last powers the hunters reached their village.

The amazons fell down on their knees, panting for air. Finally they were on save ground. But even here you could still hear the Beasts rampage through the heart of the forest.

A freckled Amazon was the first to catch her breath and looked up to her leader. "Well, this hunt was quite the failure, thanks to a certain someone…" Dahlia didn't answer but just dropped Hancock on the floor carefully.

"Way to go, Hancock! You really nailed it today!" another curly-haired Amazon added with obvious irritation.

"Enough."

The leader had spoken, the girls fell silent. But she couldn't stop them from giving Hancock one last scowl before they left.

Dahlia turned to Hancock, who was still crouching on the ground. The girl was around 10 years old, even for her age comparably skinny and small. Black shiny Hair, hold in two pigtails, was framing her face.

Despite this rather unimposing exterior, the girl was energetic and cheerful. With her fury temper, she could easily convince others for her cause or even intimidate them with the right words.

But right now things looked different; her little face was glowing red; her big eyes were looking to the ground, avoiding any eye-contact. She was a picture of misery.

"Come on, stand up." The leader reached Hancock her hand. The little warrior took it only reluctantly.

"How did you know about the Rhinos" The girls asked timidly.

"It is called experience." Dahlia answered

"And you have to know that those animals are not very different from us. They would do everything to protect a member of their family" the leader smiled and stroke away the messy strands of hair that were covering Hancock's bright face. The girl winced softly, surprised by this friendly gesture. … Then she uttered a small "Thank you".

„You are welcome…But do not understand me wrong…" Dahlia's expression changed to a worried frown.

„You disobeyed my commands and could have killed all of us…You are strong, without a doubt. But you do not know what a real warrior is yet…" she sighed and looked up to Hancock remorsefully

" I am afraid will have to talk to the princess about this when she returns…"

" You will tell it to our princess?!"Hancock shouted nervously.

" Yes, she is the one to decide on your penalty. Do you have a problem with that?"

She did, more than anything else, but Hancock just shook her head slowly. Now wasn't the time for objections.

"Good, then take a rest now, and think about what happened today… I never want this to reoccur, alright?"

Hancock trotted back to her home. She felt the glances of the other warriors pierce her as she walked by. But she couldn't care less about them; she was worrying about something else. Dahlia would talk to the Snake-princess, the woman she admired the most. What would the princess say when she heard about her mistake? Hancock would rather die than fall in disgrace with her. She had to do something to redeem herself. And she had to do it before her princess returned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

The sun was going down already as Hancock finally reached the center of the village; directly in front of the Kuja-castle. It was a wonderful sight, enthroned over the rest of the buildings. The village itself was located in a big hole carved into the highest Mountain of the island. It was surrounded by massive walls that protected the Kuja from the creatures of the jungle. The Kuja-tribe lived almost completely isolated from the rest of the world thanks to the calm belt. But despite this fact, its architecture, cuisine and arts made other so called civilizations pale in comparison...

The young Amazon entered the main court of the village. One of the elders was sitting in front of a camp fire, a handful of young girls surrounding her. Hancock spotted her two sisters among them. Every evening they woud listen to another fantastical story about the Kuja-pirates and their travels on the grand line.

The elder, who was a former pirate herself, would describe to them the look and taste of pure shining snowflakes, that would fall from the sky on some parts of the world. She'd tell them about the endless burning deserts and the wonderful sound of the wind you'd only hear there. And when they were lucky she'd even drop one or two things about "men". Of course she did so in a whisper, since only talking about them was almost obscene.

Nonetheless Hancock didn't care about those bland descriptions. They were trivial to her, since one day she'd go out there and see it all for her self.

But since the girl had nothing better to do she sat down between her sisters.

The two of them over towered her easily, even though she was the eldest of them. But when they had trouble she'd end up helping them out like a real big sister should do. Even though she didn't quite show it, she cared deeply for them.

Right now they were so lost in the story that they didn't even notice her join. Hancock started to listen to the story halfheartedly. The raspy voice of the elder began to speak

"All Hope was gone, the people were preparing for their demise. But in this darkest time the very first Snake princess would gallantly face the foe. Without fear she opposed the ruler of the jungle. The gigantic demon-snake would tower in front of our princess like a mountain, its menacing fangs sparkling in the sun. But our princess wouldn't shift; instead she looked it straight in the eyes."

Hancock yawned audible; the elder paused for a brief second and looked at the source of this tremendous rudeness.

Hancock hated history lessons, especially such corny ones. But listening to the story was not a waste of time. It had just given her THE idea on how to solve her problem! She knew how she could impress Dahlia and even her princess!

"Please don't stop, tell us more about the princess!" a bright voice prompted, it belonged to Hancock's sister, Sandersonia.

"I'm sorry Sonia, enough stories for today "Hancock interrupted loudly.

"Oh come on, Hancock! Just one last story, please!"The youngest sister Marigold joined the conversation.

"Oh Mari…enough already…"The impatience in Hancock's voice was almost threatening.…

"How would you have defeated the snake?" the elder asked curiously. The light of the campfire was illuminating her wrinkly face.

"I would just give it the beating of its life! A snake is nothing. Someday I will be the princess and make the whole world bow down to me, you will see." Hancock answered in an unimpressed tone and brutally grabbed her two sisters by the neck.

„Almost thought so…" the elder answered with an ambiguous smile

"Good night, everyone! We have to go!" With this words Hancock forcefully dragged her sisters away from the campfire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

"Oh, Hancock, I really wanted to hear another story… "Sandersonia whined while she trotted behind her sister through the shaded paths of the village. Hancock's sole answer was a piercing glare, it was enough to silence her sister for good.. Hancock was obviously in a very bad mood… they had to choose their next words with care. The sisters walked behind her in silence. The only sounds they could hear now were those of their own light steps and the odd scream of an exotic animal coming from the jungle. Finally Marigold dared to speak again

"So, Sister, how was the hunt today…?"She asked tentatively.

"The hunt, you ask?" Hancock breathed in sharply, her arms crossed in front of her."It was a catastrophe…"

Marigold regretted her question in an instance.

"We were hunting down a wild Rhino. Of course I was able to beat it with one hit," Hancock remarked, not without great pride

"But then that little coward called for help and we had to deal with his relatives. Somehow Dahlia gave me the responsibility for this mishap. You do not know what a real warrior is, she said. It is just so humiliating…"

Hancock sighed and stopped walking, her sister did the same.

With a quick jerk Hancock faced her sisters, who were now perfectly still and stared at her with big eyes. The two of them where prepared for everything, an angry outburst, a hissy fit, even a breakdown... Instead Hancock looked at them with friendly eyes; her voice was calm; almost mellow as she spoke

„Sisters, I need your help"

Now that was unexpected...

"You need OUR help?" Marigold asked. Normally Hancock wasn't the one to ask for support. To her it was a sign of weakness…

"Yes I do, sit down and I will tell you my plan." The three girls stopped under the shadows of a tree. After they made sure nobody was watching or listening Hancock started to speak.

"Dahlia thinks I do not have what it takes to be a real warrior, so will just prove it to her. I am going to the Serpents cave, this very night."

"The Serpents cave!?" Sandersonia shrieked. Her gaze drew so wide, it looked like her Eyes would pop out any second.

"You might want to blurt it out a little bit louder? I do not think everyone has heard us yet." Hancock snarled at her sister.

"I...I am sorry but why would you want to go there? It is dangerous…"Sandersonia answered with a frightful whisper.

"It is the best way to prove you are warrior, is it not?"

It was true; the sisters had heard much about the Serpent's cave. For as long as the history of the Kuja-warriors dated back, the cave was part of an ancient ritual. By entering the cave the young members of the tribe would prove their courage and strength.

They had to descent deep into the den, and obtain one of the rare serpent eggs hidden in its shadows. Once they had fulfilled this task they were officially declared part of the royal Kuja-warriors. From then on they were allowed to carry their own personal snake. It would hatch from the egg they returned from their adventure.

"So, what do you say? You are in?" Hancock challenged her sisters.

"But it is strictly forbidden for us to enter the cave alone…" Marigold objected gently.

"That is the reason why you two are accompanying me…"

"That is not what I meant; we are not allowed to enter without a full-fledged warrior by our side…"

"There are three of us what, should happen? You know that I am strong, I will protect you..." Hancock cocked her head to the side like a small puppy. There was a warm anticipating glow on her face.

How they hated that expression, but it was too cute to resist…

"We will come with you…" The two sisters finally surrendered in unison.

"Good, then it is settled!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

In the shadow of the night, the three sisters made their move. The only problem they had to face where the guards who kept a tight watch over the Village at nightfall. Nothing could leave or enter the village under their watchful eyes. At least in theory. Hancock however was aware of a fatal weak point in this surveillance. It had the name of Tulip.

Tulip was a huge, bulky guard, who watched over the east side of the village. She was imposingly strong, but good-natured and painfully naïve … And she loved nothing more than a good meal…

"Good night Tulip! How is the watch doing?"The guard turned around in shock but calmed down the moment she recognized the small frame approaching her

"Hancock, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting by now?"

"Yes, but it is such a wonderful night, I felt like looking at the stars for a little bit" Hancock said and sat down next to her. It was a shameless lie, but Tulip was way too naïve to see through it.

"You are right; the stars look lovely tonight!"Tulip stared at the sky with awe

"Being on the watch all night sure is exhausting, hm ? How about a small midnight snack?" Hancock asked innocently. The young girl turned away and started shuffling through her pouch. As she turned back she was holding plenty of delicious food in her hands. Tulip beamed at the goodies, there was delicate meat, and mouth-watering cakes.

"But…you know I am not allowed to eat during my watch…"Tulip stuttered, the wonderful smell of the groceries had reached her nose.

"Is that so? You really do not want to try?" Hancock started swinging a piece of meat in front of Tulip's Face before she moved it to her own lips with pleasure. Slowly she took a big bite.

"Ooh, I cannot believe it!" Hancock squealed with utmost bliss „ So good…! You must take one bite!"

Tulip was shaking now; as if the only sight of the food caused her physical pain. She couldn't resist this temptation any longer. With trembling hands she took a piece of luscious meat. She would only take one bite; to see how it tasted and get back to duty…

The second the meat met her lips, Tulip tasted pure paradise. All intentions were forgotten, instead she was longing for more. The moment she had eaten up, Hancock reached her more delicacies anew.

"Here Tulip, I brought some Sake from the village. I heard it is your favorite!"Hancock said gleefully as she reached Tulip the bottle. The guard accepted it gratefully

"You are really mindful!"

Soon the stuffed Tulip was leaning against Hancock, drunk and sleepy.

There was a reason why Tulip was not allowed to eat during her watch… After a good meal she would fall asleep faster than a toddler…

"How about a small nap, Tulip? One or to minutes will not do any harm…" The girl spoke with a lulling whisper and reached the guard a fluffy cushion.

"You are right" the Guard murmured with weary eyes" Only a minute…"

After three seconds the big guard was lying on the floor and snoring loudly. Not even a herd of rampaging rhinos could wake her up now. With a short whistle, Hancock gave her sisters the signal to come out of their hiding. The two girls arrived and looked at the snoozing Tulip

You are sure she will not wake up?" Sandersonia asked with worry, her eyes still resting on the guard.

"Yes, she ate up almost everything…And she drank so much Sake; it would put a whole army to sleep." Hancock answered dryly while she covered the Guard with a warm blanket."We have at least three hours before she wakes up again. That should be more than enough to get to the jungle and return."

At these words an upset hiss went through the night. Tulips Snake had loosened form her body and stood up in front of them. It was glaring with suspicion. Hancock bowed down and petted the angry animal."We are just taking a small walk, I am sure you have no reason to object?" Hancock said tenderly and reached the reptile a big piece of meat. The snake hissed again, this time with delight. It lay down next to its sleeping owner, and started to feast on its bribe. Now the girls could step out to their adventure….


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6 **

The young girls were wandering through the Jungle, only the crescent moon and a small torch illuminating their path. For Marigold and Sandersonia it was the first trip to the jungle. They were frightened to death and clinging to their eldest sister as they walked behind her. But even for Hancock, who had accompanied the hunters through the woods several times at daytime, it was a whole new experience. At night the jungle seemed like a different sphere; unfamiliar creatures were roaming and screaming through the trees. Even the scent of the flowers was another one after nightfall.

Finally the girls reached the serpents cave, the plan was simple. They'd go inside find an egg that was impressive enough and would bring it to the princess the day she returned from the ocean.

With this she would not only have a worthy present for her beloved princess, but she could prove her strength as a warrior. Hancock couldn't wait to see her face when she would hand her the precious egg.

"We are going in!" Hancock announced. But her sister suddenly seemed very unsure of this plan. They did not show the slightest ambition to enter the cave but rather stared at their own feet.

"Oh, I understand…you do not want to enter this dark, dangerous cave. You are right, how foolish of me. It is better if I enter on my own." Hancock said with a sympathetic voice. A glimmer of hope sparked up in her sister's eyes.

"You wait for me here, completely alone with the gigantic monsters and insects that crawl out at night…I heard they suddenly jump out of the jungle and you are never seen again…But you should be safe without me, should you not?" Hancock lilted "Of course I will be taking the torch with me. I am the one to go into the cave after all. Just keep away from suspicious noises and you should be fine... I guess…."

Hancock smiled brightly into the devastated faces of her sisters. She patted them on the backs and turned on her heels, leaving the two girls in the darkness of the jungle.

Then Hancock entered the cave. Monstrous shadows loomed with the flame as she dived into the darkness. Not only was it pitch-black, but also cold and humid inside. On top of that it was filled with confusing tunnels and alleys, all leading to different directions. Almost like a labyrinth. She had to proceed with great care, or she would end up lost for all eternity.

However she came to suspect that the only reason people feared the cave was that they had problems finding out of it again…this ritual was a joke…

After walking for a couple of seconds; she heard hasty, nervous steps following her.

Hancock chuckled. She knew they would get nervous…

The steps got closer until she felt her two sisters walk next to her. Sandersonia's small hand naturally clutched at hers, shaking with fear. Hancock didn't look back, but just pressed her sisters hand reassuringly. There was nothing to be afraid of, really.

Without a word the three girls waded through the darkness, huddled up under the warm flame of their torch. An unsettling deep hum was roaming through the tunnel, as if the cave itself was breathing.

Suddenly Marigold stopped; her face was pale as if she had seen a ghost.

"What is it Mari?" Sandersonia asked with worry.

"Something… something just moved up and touched my leg…"she stammered.

"You are just imagining things…" Hancock answered dryly.

But then Sandersonia shrieked with Horror, „It's getting up my leg! Something's getting up my leg!!!"

The two younger sisters started to panic. To make things even worse one of them bumped into Hancock, who lost hold of the torch. Everything turned pitch-black…

For a short second you could only hear the fast terrified breathing of the girls. Then they started to scream hysterically.

Hancock tried her best to calm her sisters down, she grabbed them by the shoulders, Shook them, tried to speak to them with an assuring voice, but without effect. They were too deep in their panic. Finally she lost her temper.

"STOP SCREAMING NOW!" Hancock bellowed furiously. The two sisters stopped abruptly. What ever it was on the floor, it sure wasn't as bad their sister, when angered...

Finally she had their attention."Calm down, you two. Just stop panicking, ok?"Hancock's voice wandered through the darkness soothingly. She reached down to the floor in search of the torch. Indeed she felt moving, slippery creatures that tried to crawl up her skin while she was scanning the ground. She shook them off and finally got hold of the torch. Skillfully she sparked it off with two firestones from her pocket.

She turned the flame and cast light on her sisters. The two of them were petrified with horror; they didn't dare to look down. Hancock reached to the floor again, this time she snatched up a hand full of the creatures that were crawling there.

They were tiny snakes, tossing and turning in her hands. As she loosened her grip around them, the small animals blinked at her curiously. Then they joyously wriggled around her arm before they finally crawled back to the floor.

"See? They are perfectly harmless! They just wanted to get to know us!" Hancock said cheerfully. She couldn't suppress a giggle as the last snake tickled down her body.

"They are really cute!" Sandersonia agreed with a bright laugh. A small snake had wrapped around her neck and inspected her green curly hair. Marigold had a sigh of relief. Suddenly she felt embarrassed for her previous reaction.

Hancock investigated the setting with her torch; the little snakes were following her with great interest. Soon she discovered the reason for this enormous wave of snakes. A gigantic nest stood in front of her, hundreds of eggs lying in it.

Sandersonia shouted out with happiness "We have found the eggs! Look how beautiful they are!"

They all had different colors and varying, neat patterns on them. But they all had one thing in common…

"Those eggs are way too small. Who would be impressed by that…?" Hancock complained with frustration.

The eggs were not bigger than her clenched fist, which sure was not worth the trouble.

"We are moving on!" Hancock commanded. The sisters sighed unhappily and waved goodbye to the friendly little snakes to descend deeper into the den.

They kept walking for another while when they finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. Had they actually reached the end of the cave?

As they followed the light, they arrived in a wide room, resembling a hall. Moonlight was shining through a hole in the ceiling of the cave. Hancock put the torch to the ground, thanks to the moonlight they were able to see without the fire. In the middle of the room was another nest. But as the girls approached it they were pleasantly surprised.

The nest was filled with shattered egg-shells. Hidden under them, only one single egg was left. Its shell was colored bright shining red.

Carefully Hancock took the egg out of its warm nest with both her hands.

"Now that is a royal gift..." She whispered with awe. The sisters stared at the shining oval object as if it was a treasure. It was almost as big as a melon…

They were so occupied with their discovery, that they didn't notice the lurking creature in the same room. It smoothly approached them without a sound.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7  
**

The sisters were still looking at the egg with big eyes when Marigold suddenly turned around. She could have sworn she saw something move from the corner of her eye. But all she could make out were the monstrous shadows looming in the cave. The girl hugged herself and stared into the darkness. There was nothing… she was just imagining things again…

She was just about to turn around again when she noticed a pair of shining yellow eyes staring at her from the darkness.

In a second the creature shot out of the shadows. Without thinking Marigold pushed her sisters out of the way with all her power.

The two other siblings were caught off guard by this rescue and landed on the floor with a hard thud.

Sandersonia was holding her back in pain, Hancock however was even less grateful for this rescue…

"Are you insane? What got into you? You almost shattered the egg!" she barked at Marigold wrathfully.

But Marigold remained silent. She just pointed to the attacker who had tried to kill them.

It was an incredibly large Serpent; its body was as big and wide as a tree. Shimmering silver scales were covering it. It looked almost noble, if it weren't for its vicious yellow eyes.

"We...We should better run for it!" Sandersonia stuttered. But Hancock just waved if off with a boastful hand.

"This guy is just a showoff."

Slowly she stood up and turned to the snake, which looked at the three intruders with an examining eye. It seemed to be here to protect the egg….Hancock felt a thrill shiver down her body, finally she would get some action.

"You want this, am I right?"Hancock grinned and balanced the Egg in her hands. The giant snake seemed to twitch with every move the egg made...

"Here sister, take care of it. " Hancock reached the valuable object to Marigold

"I will handle this one!" She smiled confidently and approached the snake without haste.

"One should not sneak up on people; I will teach you some manners!"

Hancock didn't waste any more time, the same second she dashed to the animal and tried to knock it out. But the snake evaded her attacks elegantly. Only once the snake showed an opening. It was the moment Marigold tried to put the egg into her pouch.

The young Amazon didn't hesitate; with all her might she hit the snakes head. This punch had crushed a Rhino's armor; it should be more than enough to defeat this creature.

The warrior jumped back and waited for the animal to fall in defeat. But instead it rose up again and looked down to her, his yellow eyes burning with new rage.

Hancock heard the terrified gasp of her sister. To be honest she was surprised herself. This snake was tougher than she expected... But luckily she had thought of an emergency plan!

Hastily she reached to her back and drew a sharp silver blade. She looked at the shining sword she had borrowed from the village's blacksmith. It was told to even cut through Iron. Then this snake would be no problem…

Fast as a lightning the girl lunged to the snake again. But the moment she attacked, her sword was deflected by the silvery skin of the reptile. The weapon was thrown out of her hand and landed at the other side of the cave with a metallic rattle.

"What kind of pathetic weapon is that? I thought this could cut through Iron!!" Hancock bellowed with anger.

"If you were a swordfighter, this might have been the case!" Marigold snapped back, as she stared at the silver sword with sorrow. It had been their only weapon.

"I think I know what this snake is!" Sandersonia interfered

"The elder talked about them, those silver snakes can not be hurt with weapons! Their skin is just too hard! Only the princess was able to defeat one of them"

Hancock felt slightly nervous as the gigantic shimmering snake approached her again.

"Then how did the princess stop the snake!?" Hancock yelled frantically.

"The legend says, she just told it to leave! The Snake was afraid by her only words and left to the jungle, never to be seen again!"Sandersonia cried out.

Hancock was speechless; she covered her face with her palm… Sandersonia was actually babbling about one of those inane tails, made up by the elder …

It was completely idiotic …

But it was too easy to not give it a try!

Hancock Pointed at the snake and shouted with the most courage she could come up with.

"Foolish creature! I command you to leave!"

There was an awkward silence fulfilling the cave. The Snake stood still and glanced at the determined girl for a second. The sisters took a deep breath. Had it actually worked?

**...  
**

If the snake had been a fan of comedy, it would have been rolling on the floor laughing right this moment. It would have cried tears of laughter at this pathetic attempt to make it leave. But unfortunately for Hancock this very Snake didn't have a sense of humor … the serpent seemed unsure what to make of this absurd command and inspected the girl arrogantly.

Finally it decided to just go with killing the little human…

In a split second the snake shot down and pierced through Hancock's shoulder with his gigantic fangs. The girl's body was impaled by the Snake like a puppet, dangling helplessly in the air. Hancock howled with pain, desperately trying to free herself with one arm.

This pain was out of this world, worse than anything she ever experienced before. It was boiling inside her, burning through her veins like acid.

Finally the snake decided to let go. The girl landed on her knees. The pain was so overwhelming, that the Amazon had trouble keeping her consciousness…

The gigantic predator was now circling her without a sound; its smooth body was flowing like water. It looked like it wanted to play before it would devour her.

It should get its game!

Hancock got up with shaky legs. The terrified screams of her sisters were only a faint echo. Her mind was obsessed with defeating the snake and restoring her foolish wounded pride. With all her powers the girl started hammering on the silvery body. It was as if the snake was observing her with some kind of twisted amusement. Her attacks didn't even cause a scratch…

With a sharp whip of the back of its tail the animal threw her out of track and face first into the mud.

"You little …" Hancock puffed; she tried to get up immediately. But her body wouldn't listen anymore. It started to spasm and kick uncontrollably. The venom had taken over.

Her throat was burning, longing for fresh cold air. She tried to breathe; but even her lungs refused to work. She was left wheezing on the floor. Hot tears were running down her cheeks. She was such a weakling.

The Snake didn't bother about his dying victim anymore and turned to the two girls at the other end of the room. They had followed the spectacle with pure Horror. Sandersonia and Marigold were holding each other, cowering in fear.

"Hancock, please hold on! We will get you out of here!" Marigold screamed. She stood up to rush to her sister's aid. But the snakes massive body blocked her path.

"Please run…I beg of you… run…"Hancock's voice was a muffled sob.

"We will not leave without you! We are sisters!" Sandersonia insisted. She tried to sound confident, but her voice was a trembling whimper. Hancock couldn't believe her ears. They were actually thinking of fighting this deadly creature for her sake!

It was laughable, pathetic, hopeless! But most importantly, it was all her fault. She was the one who convinced them to come to the cave. She was the one who dared them to go deeper and deeper into it.

Her arrogance would be responsible for her sisters' death.

This gruesome realization tortured her more than any venom ever could. Pure Terror, pain and rage mengled up inside of her. Hancock tried to stand up, she tried to stop this ordeal…but the poison was working against her…

Every muscle was burning like fire. The taste of blood was filling her mouth and every breath was a battle for itself... But she had to get up, no matter how big the suffering would be… as long as her heart was beating she had to protect her sisters.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8  
**

The Snake glanced at the girls. This was too amusing… apparently they weren't even thinking of running away! This was really the easiest prey it had ever encountered…

The two Amazons stood upright, like real Kuja-warriors. No matter how small the chances were, they would try to fight.

The Serpent darted at the young amazons, but the very same second its body was snapped back by an incredible force. It felt a hand grab its tail as its body was crashed against the wall. The Animal was puzzled by this sudden attack. Baffled it looked around, in search for the mysterious attacker.

Suddenly it spotted the small human warrior. The small black-haired girl had somehow managed to get up again and was standing in front of her sisters. She was rasping for air, her chest was moving up and down violently with every breath. Blood was flowing out of an enormous flesh wound across her chest and shoulder.

The girl was crippled by the venom and not even able to stand or breathe properly. But she still dared to oppose him. Again.

This was getting annoying…The snake didn't like to face more trouble than necessary. Once a victim was poisoned, fighting it any further was a waste of energy and time. Instead it liked to wait for the prey to finish its death-struggle by its own. But this one turned out to be extremely persistent. It was time to end it for good.

The snake launched towards her, Holding its mouth wide open. The girl didn't seem to even notice the attack. Her bleary eyes could barely focus the enemy; her body almost collapsed by its own weight. The serpent prepared to rip her into pieces. But suddenly its momentum was stopped.

The girl was holding its jaws apart with her bare hands; the poisonous fangs had shoved into her flesh. The Amazon was panting while she struggled to keep the snakes mouth wide open.

Slowly she looked up to the cold, amber eyes of the snake.

"If you touch them … I will kill you…"The warrior hissed through clenched teeth.

The snake was struck by an unexplainable fear. Even though the girl was on the verge of death, her words felt perfectly reliable. Where did this incredible confidence come from?

The warrior was pressing against the snakes jaws so tightly; it felt like they would be ripped apart any second. For the first time in its life the snake hissed in agony. Hancock pierced the serpent with her bloodshot eyes, breathing hard and fast like a furious animal herself. She wouldn't back down, no matter what.

The serpent had seen enough; it didn't want to risk any more. It was unbelievable, but her mere presence felt like a heavy unpleasant weight on the animals shivering body. Carefully it retrieved its fangs. Blood gushed out of the warrior's palms as the snakes fangs drilled out of her flesh. The young girl kept her eyes locked on the serpent, as it moved away further and further until it slowly disappeared into the shadows.

Then all the anxiety fell from her shoulders at last. Her body turned light as a feather. As her back hit the floor it didn't even hurt. Slowly the heat of the battle left her body and a freezing numbness took over.

Hancock felt a warm hand press her cold fingers eagerly; thin desperate voices were trying to break through to her. She wanted to answer, tell them that everything was fine. But her lips weren't able to form a single word.... She felt tired, so incredibly tired… she closed her eyes and finally allowed the darkness to engulf her… It was fine, as long as her sisters were safe.

----------------------------------------------------------

After what felt like a terrible dark eternity, Hancock finally returned from her nightmare. It was the sound of bright laughter, which woke her up from her sleep. It sounded like children were playing near by. The warm light of the sun tickled her skin. As Hancock tried to move she felt a blanket was covering her body.

Suddenly a tender hand touched her forehead and rested there for a moment.

"Do not worry. The fever is ceasing, the worst part is over." A raspy, old voice spoke quietly.

Close to her, Hancock felt somebody breathe out in relief.

"Thank god...I knew she would make it, she is a tough one after all…" A familiar voice answered.

Slowly Hancock opened her eyes and recognized a darkish face that had bend over hers.

It took a while until she could get a sharp picture but finally she could make out a worried scowl. In an instant the expression switched to the brightest smile. It belonged to her leader Dahlia.

"You little fool! I cannot tell you how relieved I am!"At once Dahlia hugged and squeezed the little body with such energy; Hancock thought she would be smothered any second.

"Let her go! She is still injured!" The elder warned loudly.

"Oh yes, I am sorry..." The leader took her arms of Hancock and patted her shoulder awkwardly. Her expression had turned perfectly serious again.

"What… What happened?" Hancock asked, she was still confused and tried to sort out her memories.

"Oh? So you do not remember your little excursion to the serpent's cave? It is probably because of the poison…Tulip almost cried her eyes out because she had let you pass. You truly must have been out of your mind!" Dahlia looked at her reproachfully.

"It is a miracle the three of you made it out alive!"

"The three of us…?" suddenly the memories returned.

"MARIGOLD, SANDERSONIA! WHERE ARE THEY?!" Hancock shouted out loud.

"Calm down …they are right here…" Dahlia's gaze turned to ground. Two figures where lying there, huddled up together. Her sisters were sleeping peacefully.

"They refused to leave your side; they kept guarding your bed for three days and nights. You will just wake them up if you keep yelling like that. Let them rest for a while…"

Hancock felt pure Happiness shower down her body; it felt like she was floating in a bubble. Her sisters were safe! There was nothing else she could wish for!

"Oh yes, before I forget it: the princess wants to see you when you are back on your feet... She returned yesterday, and seemed pretty displeased about this whole story…Do you want something to drink?"

The bubble burst with a loud *Plop*. Hancock was pulled back to reality with something that felt like a terrible punch to the guts…


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

Hancock's shoulder and hands were still wrapped up in bandages as she stood in front of the Princess' chamber. But she couldn't afford to let the princess wait any longer. She never felt this nervous before… The girl went through the little speech she had prepared in her head as the dark voice of a guard spoke to her.

"Please enter, the princess is expecting you"

The girl took a deep breath and entered the chamber with determined steps.

As she went through the portal, she arrived in an impressive majestic hall. Tall marble Pillars were lining a path to the other end of the room.

There the princess was waiting for her.

As Hancock approached her, it felt like her knees were going to give in any second.

The princess was reclining in her impressive golden throne. Her fingers played mindlessly through the black soft fur of Bacura, who was lying to her feet. The gigantic Panther reached out his head, yearning for her touch like a spoiled pet.

It was hard to believe this animal normally performed gruesome executions; she had witnessed him rip up prisoners in the arena without mercy. As Hancock knelt down in front of the throne, the Panther turned his head curiously and tried to move his massive body up. He probably thought she was another small snack. But the princess put him in his place with a firm press of her hand. The animal understood and lay back down to her feet obediently.

Hancock swallowed. She had often seen the princess from a distance. But it was her fist chance to get a glimpse from so close up. Carefully she moved up her eyes to look at her ruler.

The princess was of such astonishing beauty, that Hancock had to try her best not to stare.

The ruler herself was looking down at the girl, as well. Her cold blue eyes were investigating the little Amazon like a cat was watching its prey. Finally she started to speak in a voice rich and crystal-clear:

"You are here at last, Boa Hancock…You caused me a lot of sorrow…But I hope you have recovered well, nonetheless …"

Her words were compassionate, but her tone sounded almost painfully sarcastic.

The bright eyes of the princess wandered over the visitor, paused at the injured shoulder and finally looked straight into Hancock's eyes... It felt as if she was analyzing her tirelessly, studying her every thought.

The girl looked down; she couldn't stand this gaze any longer.

"I beg for your forgiveness, princess…" she started to speak shakily.

"I am afraid a mere apology will not be enough." the princess interrupted." Only the most experienced members of our tribe are to enter the Serpent's cave. You were not one of them. Explain to me, what were you thinking in entering the den in the middle of the night without support?"

"I wanted to prove to you that I am a warrior, that I am strong…" Hancock whispered in her defense.

"Strength was not what saved your life, Boa Hancock." The princess snapped with unconcealed contempt.

"Your two little sisters, who carried your body through the jungle in the middle of the night, saved your life. Just like the elders, who attended to your wounds and cured the venom in your veins, and the youngest members of our tribe, who collected every single herb for your antidote with greatest care. They may not be strong in your sense… But without their aid, your death would have been inevitable."

The princess paused; her calm eyes were still resting on Hancock. The girl was careful not to lift her head.

"A true warrior fights not for pride or personal gain. We yearn to become stronger only to support and protect those that are important to us. That is the only reason we train our strength. A Kuja warrior that only fights for her self is not better than a traitor."

The words of the princess sting like needles.

A traitor!? Hancock remembered the previous Princess, who had left the Island and her whole tribe when Hancock was younger. She betrayed all of them. Just thinking about being compared to the like of hers filled Hancock with rage.

"I am not a traitor..." she objected quietly, choking down her tears

"You deliberately opposed my command to not enter the cave and endangered not only your own life but that of your sisters. What should I regard you as, then?"The princess asked patiently, the tips of her fingers pressed together.

Hancock remained silent, her eyes were shut.

For a second, she wished they would have just left her to die back in the cave. She couldn't stand this humiliation any longer…

But this was not right…Hancock opened her eyes again. Thinking like that was weak and pathetic. She had made a mistake. But denying it wouldn't solve the problem. She had to accept her error, like a real warrior would do.

"I was an arrogant fool…" Hancock finally answered. She looked up to her princess.

"But I am not a traitor."

The princess gave the girl a piercing glance but Hancock didn't shift her eyes. It was as if she wanted to challenge the princess.

At any other time, in any other place this defiant look would have been called a pure provocation. But this moment the princess just smiled quietly and leaned back in her throne.

"Your sisters, they told me that you confronted the serpent, despite being fatally wounded. They told me you were the one who managed to keep harm away from them. Is that the truth?" the princess asked, her voice was echoing through the hall.

The girl nodded.

"Tell me now." She commanded "how exactly were you able to fight off the serpent, in spite of your injuries?"

"I cannot really remember…"Hancock answered hesitantly" I... was lying on the floor. I could neither breathe nor move …But when I heard the voices of my sisters, I did not care about the poison or the pain."

Her voice grew louder „I could not let the serpent harm my sisters. I just wanted my sisters to get out before it was too late! I attacked the snake and told it to stop! And it actually listened to me. Had it not, I would have killed it. If I had given up right there the snake would have turned to my sisters! It would have …"

Hancock stopped, suddenly all the terrible emotions crawled up again. Against her will, her eyes filled with tears. She tried to hold them back and hid her face from her princess. She couldn't cry in front of her. She couldn't show such weakness.

Finally she gained back her self-control and dared to look up to the princess. But suddenly there was unexpected warmth in the rulers light blue eyes. A gentle smile appeared on her lips.

" So you overpowered your foe just by speaking to it, for the sole purpose of protecting you sisters…" the princess shook her head in disbelief.

"You may not be aware of it but you possess a great strength, little Amazon. Even though you have your flaws..." The princess stated, her head was sunken in deep thought now.

Finally she lifted her eyes again and started to speak

"As a matter of fact you were called to me today to receive a penalty for your unruly behavior…But I will let it be if you just promise me one thing: Never use your powers to satisfy your own arrogance or pride ever again. You need to learn that you are the strongest when you fight to protect, not when you try to conquer or kill..." The Princess glanced at Hancock with soft, almost pleading eyes.

"If you remember these principles, you might become the greatest and most beautiful warrior that was ever put forth by Amazon Lily…"

Hancock was surprised at these words… she tossed and turned them around in her head, trying to give them sense. Was she really serious?

"Do you understand?" the Princess asked earnestly. She was not the type to joke.

"Yes, I do" Hancock then answered firmly. She was sure that she would never forget the words of the princess.

"Good, always remember this lesson" the princess said.

"But before you leave, I want you to take something with you..." She turned to Bacura, who was still sleeping on his spot. The princess gently tapped the animal's forehead.

"It is time" she whispered.

The Panther woke up with a loud yawn and carefully moved his right paw. A red shiny object was hidden underneath his warm fur.

Hancock recognized the egg from the cave.

"Princess, it is yours…We brought this egg for you!" Hancock objected

"Indeed, it is a real shame... I know this beautiful egg was supposed to be a present for me..." The princess laughed mildly "But you were the one to touch it first, thus it belongs to you."

As she noticed Hancock's puzzled face she began to explain.

"The snake remembers the touch of the very first person that lays a hand on its shell. Just imagine a bond was sealed the moment you touched it. From now on the snake will be your faithful companion. You shall take good care of it."

Hancock accepted the red egg with shaking hands, her thin fingers wrapped around it like it was a treasure.

"You know that this makes you part of the Kuja-warriors now. I only expect the best from you, Boa Hancock. Do not dare to disappoint me again." She beamed at the little warrior; a bright smile appeared on her face.

"I swear I will not, princess. Thank you…" Hancock answered with gratitude.

"Good, then You are dismissed for today. It is still a long way before you can call your self a strong warrior, so get back to training! And who knows, if you are doing well you might even accompany us to the grand line, someday."

Hancock nodded and glanced at the princess confidently; she couldn't wait to find out what was waiting for her out there.


End file.
